The fractured canyon yawned beneath the fading sun, jagged cliffs bathed in the pale glow of a Rift relic humming softly in Kaien's palm. The relic pulsed in tune with his own Riftcore heartbeat, awakening a deeper connection than ever before.
In his grasp gleamed the Phasebrand Katana — slender and elegant, yet forged from raw Rift energy. Unlike the heavy gauntlet that once bound him, this blade was fluid, alive, bending space itself with every precise swing. It felt as if the cosmos whispered through the shimmering metal.
Kaien's eyes narrowed as a figure appeared on the ridge opposite him: Ilira Voss, the renowned CelestiaCore hunter, her presence warping the very air with gravity pulses that rippled the earth beneath her boots.
No words were exchanged; they knew this encounter would decide much.
Without warning, Kaien bent the space beneath his feet. The rocky ground cracked open in a shimmering fissure, then snapped closed as he vanished, reappearing mere meters from Ilira. His katana cut through the air, trailing streaks of folded light that fractured reality.
Ilira responded swiftly, slamming her palm forward to unleash a crushing gravitational wave meant to trap Kaien mid-strike. But he twisted the surrounding space, folding the attack away like a discarded shadow.
With a fluid arc of the Phasebrand Katana, Kaien carved a razor-thin rift beneath Ilira's feet — a swirling portal edged with stars, opening just long enough for him to step through and reappear behind her.
"Your gravity control is formidable," Kaien said, voice calm and sure. "But space—space is the final frontier."
Ilira smirked, her eyes sharp. "Don't confuse raw power with mastery."
The battle erupted.
Ilira slammed down, creating a localized gravity well that pinned Kaien's legs to the ground. But his katana pulsed with Rift energy; with a slash, he sliced through the oppressive force, folding it into nonexistence.
He darted in, cutting precise swaths through space that left afterimages shimmering like ghostly echoes. Each strike bent reality itself, destabilizing Ilira's footing and forcing her on the defensive.
But Ilira was relentless. Launching herself skyward, she crashed down in a gravity-shockwave aimed to crush Kaien's defenses. Anticipating the strike, Kaien manipulated a slow zone around himself, thickening time to blunt the impact.
The attack slowed to a crawl as Kaien sidestepped, countering with a sweeping strike that tore open a larger rift. Void energy spilled like liquid night, and shards of Riftcore shot forth, encircling Ilira.
She fought back fiercely, her gravity field flaring wildly, but the Rift shards overwhelmed her, pushing her back.
Kaien pressed forward, folding space rapidly to strike from impossible angles. His Phasebrand Katana became an extension of the cosmos, a sword that bent reality, slicing through both defenses and terrain alike.
Finally, he stood over the bruised and battered hunter, katana poised at her heart.
"Yield," he commanded.
Ilira's breath came heavy, but her eyes glinted with respect. Slowly, she nodded.
"You've grown strong, Rift Sovereign," she said.
Kaien sheathed the katana, feeling its power settle deep within him.
The battle was won, but the war for the Celestial Divide was far from over.